And Life Carries On
by The Darkness Factor
Summary: "Uh-huh." Her daughter makes a face. "Yeah, uh… so. Nothing's wrong, I promise. I just really, really needed to talk to you." And there it is. The little curl of worry that appears in her gut whenever Cat needs to talk about something.


**A/N:** Okay, so... I debated on whether or not I should post this, but I figured why not? The prompt was brucenat + "I'm pregnant", but I put a twist on it because I'm wary of Natasha being the one pregnant. Also, I've been wanting to write elderly!brucenat for a while now.

I hope people like it!

* * *

There's a beep coming from her tablet.

It indicates an incoming call; Natasha pushes herself to her feet with a groan, because in spite of how much she doesn't want to get up from her spot on the loveseat right now, the only people who are able to reach her by her tablet are the people who are close to her. She picks it up and can't quite stop the fond smile that crosses her face.

"Cat," she says, answering the call. "You never call. You never write…"

"Ha-ha, Mom." A young woman glares back at her, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "What happened to all that complaining about wanting me out of the house once I was eighteen? You kept saying you could never do the laundry because my dirty clothes were always in the washer…"

"Semantics."

"Uh-huh." Her daughter makes a face. "Yeah, uh… so. Nothing's wrong, I promise. I just really, really needed to talk to you."

And there it is. The little curl of worry that appears in her gut whenever Cat needs to talk about something.

"Maybe you should sit down for this," Cat begins.

"I'm not that old," grumbles Natasha.

"You're getting there."

"I'm writing you out of my will."

Cat giggles at that, her grin lighting up her face. She looks radiant right now, Natasha realizes. School and her job have been good for her. Stability is good for her. Stability was the one thing she and Bruce were never quite able to provide, so she's glad that Cat is getting it now.

"Look," Cat begins. Her face turns serious again. "I'm pregnant."

She says it so calmly, so matter-of-factly. Natasha does not have to sit down, but she isn't quite able to stop herself from freezing in place. It's just a moment before joy flutters up. Cat tenses on the tablet screen, clearly waiting for a reaction to this piece of news (more like a bombshell).

"Congratulations, Catalina" she says, giving a warm smile.

"Thanks, Mom." Cat beams, but she quickly schools her face into a more serious expression again. "Felicia's usually pretty okay with it, but other times she freaks out and checks to make sure that I'm not going to fall over or something. She was reading about pregnancy obsessively since we made the decision to use a donor. Sorry for not telling you earlier…"

"It's your decision to make," Natasha says. "I'm happy for you and Felicia. Give her my best."

"I will." Cat pauses. "How have things been for you, Mom? I know you still keep up with your sources and, y'know, your old spy network… how's the leg?"

Natasha glances at her leg, where her brace is attached. "Eh. Methinks it doth protest too much."

"Are you avoiding seeing the physician again?"

Natasha makes a face.

"Mom…"

"You're too late, anyway," Natasha grumbles. "Your father is making me go in for an appointment tomorrow."

"Oh. Good." Cat sticks her tongue out. "Dad's always the smarter one when it comes to that sort of stuff. I would've called him if you weren't available. How is he?"

"In the lab," Natasha replied. "Complaining about his eyesight getting worse. You know the drill. I'm not that far from the lab right now; do you want to talk to him?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Natasha's trip to the lab is slower than she likes, but Cat keeps her entertained by regaling her with the tale of Felicia blowing up a cake in the kitchen (her daughter's girlfriend can be a walking disaster, but she loves Cat like nothing else, so Natasha approves). When she does get there, Bruce notices her almost immediately, lined face crinkling into a smile as she holds up the tablet for him.

"Hey, Cat," he calls. "Breaking your vow of silence?"

"What is with you two and accusing me of not calling enough?" complains Cat.

Natasha perches on a stool and listens while Cat explains what's going on to Bruce, who drops the test tube he was working with. He's equally happy for their daughter, however, and quickly runs through a checklist of different things Cat should be doing to take care of herself.

"Thanks Dad, got it. Love you too."

Cat has to go when Felicia calls for her, leaving Bruce and Natasha in silence in the lab.

"Ah, young people," he sighs.

"Shut up, I'm not that old."

He raises an eyebrow. "We're old, Natasha. Old people who can't quite break any habits. I'd like to think we'd be grouchier old people if we hadn't adopted Cat, though."

Natasha chuckles. "Probably."

She stays in the lab with him the rest of the afternoon, content to just be with him.


End file.
